Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has taken many lives and the chaos is far from over. Amid this, the Ukrainian Tennis star Dayana Yastremska decided to exit her home country and flee to France in order to be safe. The 21-year-old recently revealed in an Instagram post on Friday that she and her younger sister, Ivanna, left their country. ESPN reported that the pair is now “safe” in Lyon, France. It was reported that Dayana and Ivanna had been driven around 150 miles from their home in Odesa, Ukraine, to the city of Izmail to escape the country.
Dayana Yastremska sends out a social media post
In her Instagram post, Dayana Yastremska shared a photograph of herself and Ivanna in matching pink ensembles as they awaited their departure from Ukraine, as well as videos from their journey out of the country.
“After spending two nights in the underground parking, my parents made a decision at any cost to send me and my little sister out of Ukraine!” Dayana Yastremska wrote on social media of herself and 15-year-old Ivanna.
“Mom, Dad, we love you very much, take care of yourself!!!” she added. “I love you my country! Ukrainians take care of your lives🥺💙💛🇺🇦🙏🏼.”
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During their drive, which came about only a day after Russia began its invasion into Ukraine, the outlet reported that the family “saw the devastation the war already had wreaked.”
“I don’t know how this war will end, but you must take care of each other, and strive for your dreams, build your new life and always be together,” the girl’s father said to them, per ESPN. “Don’t worry about us, everything will be fine.”
Dayana and Ivanna would then take a boat to Romania from Ukraine, before later catching a plane to France, where they are currently stationed inside a hotel. In a Zoom call with ESPN, Dayana said, “I am so scared. We don’t need to kill each other like this.”
Russia has wreaked havoc on Ukraine as it began its invasion last week. According to the Ukraine government, with forces moving from the north, east, and south. The attack is still growing, but explosions and airstrikes have been reported, with threats mounting against the capital, Kyiv, a city of 2.8 million people who are at risk.
